1. Field
The present inventive concept relates to a polymer, an electrode for lithium batteries that includes the polymer, and a lithium battery including the electrode.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lithium batteries have high voltage and high energy density, and thus may be used in various applications. For examples, hybrid electric vehicles (“HEV”), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (“PHEV”), and the like should be operable at high temperatures, be able to charge or discharge a large amount of electricity, have long-term usability, and thus require lithium batteries having high-discharge capacity and better lifetime characteristics.
To improve capacity and lifetime of a lithium battery, much research has been conducted to develop a novel binder for the lithium battery, in addition to novel positive electrode and negative electrode materials.
Examples of binders in most common use are polyvinylidene fluoride (“PVDF”), styrene butadiene rubber (“SBR”), and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (“Na-CMC”).
The smaller the particle size and the larger the specific surface area in negative active materials, the larger a contact area between the negative active material and electrolytic solution becomes, so that side reactions between the electrolytic solution and the negative active material may more likely occur during initial intercalation of lithium ions. This may lead to an increased initial irreversible capacitance, and consequently a low initial efficiency of lithium battery. Thus, there is still a demand for a lithium battery having improved initial efficiency.